by Kylie Walker
“I agree son. You and I know from experience with our clients that he’s not going to change. He has no remorse. He doesn’t see anything he’s doing as wrong. He needs to be locked away. In the meantime, we have to make sure he doesn’t get to Chloe.”
Jake nodded. “So you don’t want Chloe staying alone, do you want her to stay here?”
“This is pretty far from the hospital and pretty much everything else. I don’t want her feeling like a prisoner either. I could have the car drive her around, but I’d just feel safer if one of us was with her. I was hoping…if I were to arrange for someone else to handle your cases for a couple of weeks…”
Jake was looking at his father like he’d lost his mind. “You can’t be serious? Come on, Dad. I don’t even know her and I’m not sure yet if I trust her. You want me to take her to my home?” Jake kept an apartment in the city. It was more convenient than making the trek to and from the mansion on most weeknights.
“No, but Derek also has an apartment in Manhattan. She’d be in a building with security and two blocks away from you. Jesse’s plan is to get her alone. He’s proven he’s a coward. He’s not going to try anything as long as he knows there is someone around who would be willing to help her. It’s our obligation to Derek to make sure she is taken care of. Plus, she doesn’t deserve any of this, son. If you spend some time getting to know her, I think you’ll agree. She’s been tortured for far too long. We would be remiss if we didn’t do anything even if she wasn’t Derek’s girlfriend. I would do it myself Jake but you know I have that triple murder case that I’m handling right now and we’re too far in for me to hand it off to someone else. Any spare time I have I’d like to spend with your brother at the hospital. When Derek comes out of this…and he will…I want him to know we did everything in our power to protect her.”
Jake had no idea what to think of Chloe. He trusted his father and his brother’s judgment…on almost everything, but this was just…strange. He knew his father was right. They had to do this for Derek…and in the meantime, he could keep her close and decide if he trusted her or not.
“Okay,” he said, still reluctant.
Kevin smiled and clapped his son on the shoulder.
Jake lay awake in his room that night, trying to put it all together in his head. No matter how he looked at it, it just didn’t seem possible that after a lifetime of not knowing who she really was, this woman was “accidentally” discovered by his brother. Then there was the tie to Jesse Donovan as well. He’s not usually a suspicious guy. He tried his best not to judge people and being an attorney, he had learned to take both sides of every story into account. It just seemed like so many coincidences that it was unreal…or at the very least, surreal.
Jake also learned in his profession that people aren’t always what they seemed. He’d defended a man or woman more than once that he swore were innocent right up until the jury found them so…and then the client’s demeanor would change and become smug over the fact that they’d put one over on everyone…even their own attorney. He’d even had clients who delighted in telling him when it was all over that they had actually committed murder and gotten away with it.
For his father and his brother’s sake, Jake wanted to believe that there was no more to the story than what Chloe was telling them…but he was going to remain wary for a while at least, until he made sure that his family was not in any more danger. He was also calling the police first thing in the morning to find out what they were doing about finding this punk, Jesse Donovan. If nothing else, they had him for beating Chloe’s friend and putting her in the hospital. Jake was still a little steamed that he’d been left out of all of this from the beginning. If Derek had the time to let his father know what was going on…why didn’t he tell him? A wave of guilt washed over him. He’d been out of touch a lot lately. He’d had nothing but a string of bad luck with women he had dated so he’d thrown himself into work, rarely having a day that lasted less than sixteen hours.
Jake couldn’t fall asleep as his thoughts drifted into memories of growing up with Derek. They were only two years apart, so growing up they’d been really close. They were typical brothers and they spent a lot of time antagonizing each other and they had the occasional fist fight…but there was never a time when one of them needed the other that they didn’t have each other’s backs. Jake taught his little brother to ride a two-wheeler and how to play video games. He taught him how to surf and showed him how to tie his first tie. Their mother died young and their father did the best that he could…but he worked a lot and that had left Jake and Derek on their own most of the time. Jake grew protective of him…and then he felt like he just turned his back on him and let him down.
Derek had a hard time of it for a while in high school. He was getting into fights and getting expelled. He was doing what he did best, of course…defending the underdog. But unfortunately that didn’t count in the school’s eyes and he was punished harshly. By that time Jake was gone to college and when he found out about it later, he felt bad that he hadn’t been there for him. He wasn’t too worried by the time he found out though because it was over and his brother was one of the smartest people Jake had ever known. He knew he would overcome all of that and go on to succeed. He wasn’t surprised when his brother began to excel in his business classes in university and went on to become one of the most successful businessmen on the east coast. He tried to keep himself in that mind set about this as well. Derek was a fighter. He had never given up on anything as far as Jake knew. He would fight and make it through this too. He had to.
Jake finally drifted into a fitful sleep sometime in the wee hours of the morning. He woke up when the sun began to peek through the blinds and after showering and dressing he found his father and Chloe downstairs having their breakfast. Neither of them looked like they had slept any better than he did.
“Good morning, son. How did you sleep?” Kevin asked him.
Jake sat down and thanked his father’s housekeeper Susie for the coffee she poured for him and then he said, “Pretty well, thanks.” He lied, but he didn’t want to worry his father any more than he already was. Kevin already had deep, dark circles underneath his eyes. “Have you gotten any news?”
“No, but I called to check in this morning and they said there were no changes. Right now, that’s a good thing.”
Jake looked at Chloe who was sipping her coffee and pushing her food around on her plate. She looked almost more anxious this morning than she had last night.
“Good morning, Chloe,” he forced himself to say in order to be polite. He hadn’t gotten any closer to trusting her. Jake had adored his sister-in-law and it was strange and a little bit creepy for him to see her face on this stranger.
“Good morning,” she said, looking like she had to force her smile.
“I’ll be ready to head for the hospital after breakfast if you are.”
“Yes, I’m ready,” she said.
Jake finished his coffee and like Chloe, pushed his food around for a while on his plate before announcing he was finished. He and Chloe said good-bye to Kevin who had to head into the office for a while before going to see Derek and set off. Once they were outside Jake told her, “I know Dad said he’d have a car for us, but if you don’t mind, I’d rather take my own.”
“I don’t mind,” she said.
Jake put the code into the key-pad on the garage and he saw Chloe’s eyes widen as the doors lifted. It was a six car garage. Inside sat an Aston-Martin, a Dodge Charger, a Bentley, a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Mercedes S-Class sedan. The Dodge Charger and the Harley were his. He was actually aching to take the Harley out. It helped clear his head to just get it out on the open road and drive. The Charger would have to do for today though. He doubted a forty-five minute ride on the Interstate on the back of a Harley was something Chloe was up for.
Neither of them spoke until they were well on their way. Finally breaking the awkward silence Jake said, “Do you mind if I ask how long
you and Jesse were together?”
“No, that’s fine,” she said. “We started dating when I was nineteen and I was twenty-one when...when he was arrested.”
“Was he like that the entire time you were together? I mean, abusive?”
“Not at first. At first he was sweet and attentive and he went out of his way to do everything right. He was putting on a really good show. The monster began to rear its ugly head about six months into the relationship.”
“So why did you stay? I’m sorry if that’s too personal, I’m just trying to understand.”
“It’s fine,” she said. Jake noticed when they talked about Jesse last night and again now that Chloe’s shell seemed to harden almost visibly. “My childhood was filled with abuse. When I met Jesse, I thought that he was my savior, but I was well-trained all of those years as an abused child to be submissive and to blame myself for whatever went wrong. You get in that mindset and when it’s all you’ve lived and all you’ve seen it’s hard to get out of it. It’s even harder when you have no one to turn to and nowhere to go.”
“I remember when Jesse was arrested,” he said. “Your name…it was different?”
“Yeah. I changed it when I moved to Rhode Island.”
“Because of the publicity of the trial?”
“Because of Jesse… I knew that when he got out, he would come looking for me. I wanted to make it hard for him to find me.”
“I remember the trial mostly because when Vince asked him, my father refused to defend Jesse.”
“Kevin did? Why?”
“Dad’s been an attorney for twenty five years. He firmly believes that everyone deserves a defense; even someone that he knows is guilty. He’s a great attorney because he believes in the system…but he’s a better man because he also refuses to compromise his values for it. He knew that the fact Jesse was Vince Donovan’s son would mean he wasn’t going to have to face a jury. Even though he has been good friends with Vince for a long time, he wasn’t comfortable knowing that Jesse would be offered a cushy deal based solely on who his father was. He was also not really crazy about Jesse. There was just always something about him that was a little “off.” Dad referred them to his partner and took a step back.”
“I didn’t know that Kevin did that. I already had respect for him, but that strengthens it.”
“Yeah, it’s strange how all of our lives have been running right alongside each other all of these years…I guess it’s true what they say about six degrees of separation.” He was trying hard to believe that’s all that this was. He really hoped that his father and Derek were right about Chloe. They both already seemed attached…and the Whitemore’s as well. He’d hate for them all to get hurt if this was some kind of weird scheme. His own personal jury was still out on that.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jake and Chloe both visited with Derek. Nothing had changed with him since they’d seen him the day before, which they were both taking as good news for now. The doctor did give them a little bit of hope by telling them there was some indication that the pressure on his brain was decreasing quickly. They left there and headed straight to Rhode Island next.
The ride to Rhode Island was long so the two of them passed the time by trying to get to know each other. The conversation was slightly awkward because Chloe didn’t particularly want to talk about her horrific childhood or her time with Jesse. She also didn’t want to talk about working in a strip club. That didn’t leave a lot of her life open for conversation. She did tell him about taking classes towards becoming a teacher and her plan to go back as soon as things got back to “normal” in her life.
“A teacher, huh? Kids scare me.”
Chloe laughed. “Why?”
He shrugged. “I guess because I haven’t been around many of them since I was a kid myself. I would have no idea what to do with one.”
She smiled and said, “I think they teach you what to do with them in the program at school.”
“Doesn’t make them any less scary,” he said. She laughed again.
When they got to the condo Lexi and Brock were there having lunch. Brock looked extra huge sitting at their tiny little table in their tiny little kitchen. Lexi jumped up when she saw Chloe and practically ran to her. She hugged her tightly and said, “Oh honey, I’m so sorry about Derek. How is he doing?” She gave Jake a strange look, probably noticing the resemblance. It was hard not to, he and Derek looked so much alike.
“Thank you,” Chloe told her. “This is Jake, Derek’s brother.”
“Oh! I wondered because you look so much like him!”
Jake laughed. “Actually he looks like me, but I’m the better looking one.”
Chloe laughed too and said, “Jake this is Brock. He’s been helping out keeping an eye on the condo…and Lexi,” she said with a wink. Her friend actually blushed, it must be serious.
“Brock and I know each other,” Jake said. “How’s it going?”
“Things are good here. I’m so sorry about Derek.”
“Thanks. He’s a strong guy. I have no doubts that he can pull through this.”
“Yes, he’s holding his own,” Chloe told them. “The doctor told us today that the pressure in his brain is going down quickly so hopefully they’ll be able to wake him up soon.”
“That’s awesome,” Brock said.
Jake stayed to talk with Brock while Lexi went to help Chloe pack her things. When they were alone Lexi asked her, “I’m glad it sounds like Derek is on the way to recovery. Are you really doing okay?”
Chloe smiled weakly and said, “I’m doing my best. It’s so hard seeing him like this. He’s so strong and capable all the time and to see him lying in that bed, completely dependent…it breaks my heart. I keep praying that he’s not in any pain. They tell me they’re keeping him so well medicated that there is no way that he’s feeling any pain. I hope they’re right.”
Lexi took her hand and squeezed it. “I hope they are too. Everyone at the club sends their love.”
“Tell them thank you for me. You haven’t had any problems around here, have you? No reason to believe that Jesse has been around at all?”
Lexi looked slightly alarmed but she said, “No, everything has been okay. But, Brock has been staying with me…I hope you don’t mind…”
“Of course not... I feel better about it. Jesse’s not going to get anywhere near you as long as Brock is around.” Trying to lighten the conversation as they packed Chloe said, “You and Brock seem to be doing really well. He looks at you with adoration in his eyes.”
Lexi gushed, “I don’t want to jinx it but he is so amazing. He looks like a tank but he’s so kind and generous. He treats me like a princess. I’m not used to it, but it’s really nice.”
“I’m happy for you. You deserve to be treated like a princess. You give so much of yourself. It’s high time someone gave back to you. If one good thing comes of all of this, maybe it will be you finding your soulmate.”
“And you finding yours,” Lexi said. “He’s going to be okay, honey, I can feel it.”
“I know,” Chloe said with more confidence than she actually felt. People told her that, “He’s going to be okay,” but they didn’t really know. The people who she would love to hear that from, the doctors and nurses were the very ones not telling her that. She was trying so hard to hang on to the image of him as the strong, healthy man that he is as opposed to the poor battered man lying in ICU fighting for his life. She finished packing and reached underneath her bed and grabbed her journal. She hugged Lexi again, “I’ll be back as soon as Derek is doing better so don’t go renting out my room.”
“Never,” Lexi told her. “I miss you like crazy. Call if you need anything…and I mean anything at all.”
“Absolutely, I will. Thank you. I love you.”
Lexi hugged her tight. “I love you too.”
After Jake helped Chloe put her things in the car she said, “Would you mind taking me by the studio where I have my self-defense c
lasses? I’d like to talk to Max and let him see me in person so he’s not worried that I’m MIA for the next couple of weeks or so.”
“Sure.” Jake raised an eyebrow over the self-defense classes but he didn’t say anything. Chloe gave him directions and when they got there, they found Max just ending a class. Chloe introduced him to Jake and Max said, “I’m really glad you came by. When you missed our appointment yesterday, I was afraid it was because our simulation may have been too much for you.”
“No, not at all,” she said. “I mean…it was intense, but that’s what I needed.” She told him what happened to Derek without mentioning Jesse. Max listened and when she finished talking he said, “Do you think your ex had something to do with it?” She hadn’t had to say anything, Max already figured it out.
“Yes, I do,” Chloe told him. “I believe he had everything to do with it. I don’t believe we can prove it though, unfortunately.”
“Then make sure that you’re extra careful. Remember everything that we’ve gone over here and don’t let your guard down.”
“What exactly do you do here?” Jake asked. “I know Chloe said it was self-defense, but what did you mean by “simulation?”
“Part of what we do here is help the woman who has been through a traumatic episode, be able to channel all of that terror that stays with her into strength…to fight back. We do mock-attacks or recreate an attack that still gives her nightmares.”
Jake looked at Chloe and then back at Max and said, “She’s a foot shorter and maybe seventy or eighty pounds lighter than Jesse. I haven’t seen him in a few years but he had a lot of lean muscle on him the last time I did. I’m sorry, but do you really believe that teaching her to fight him is wise? No matter how good she is, he’ll always have the size advantage. Shouldn’t she be taking gun courses or learning how to run instead? I don’t mean any offense, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me…it doesn’t seem safe to put in her head that she can fight this guy off.”
